This page shows photos of the Metallic Blue Mason Bee, (Osmia lignaria) foraging and full of pollen on yellow cosmos flowers.
The blue mason bee
This blue bee is the size of a normal honey bee. We have a few cosmos flowers flowering at the
moment in the garden. All types of bees have foraged and left full of pollen. Above shows the face
of the metallic green, blue mason bee.
This blue bee I discovered accidentally on the mosquito net in the window.
This bee is called the Blue Mason Bee, because of its metallic blue green coloring.
Note their fine hair on their body and legs, which collects pollen.
They are the size of a normal bee. The males do not sting, but the females if caught and
pressed in hand it will sting.
Beautiful color on head and body. Metallic green blue head.
These bees don’t have a stinging barb. Abdomen is used for egg laying.
Habits
They are not aggressive bees and because its a mason bee lay their eggs in tubes of reeds.
How they forage
The Blue Bee forages for pollen and nectar in the same way a normal bee does. It does not
produce honey or wax.
They do not have a bee colony as the normal honey bee has, but do look after their own brood.
Also being very friendly and neighborly bees.
They do like the company of other bees and happily build their nests near each other.
The blue bee, accepts the tubes provided by the orchid pollinator to nest in. As they fill these
tubes with pollen then lay an egg. Then cover it thinly with a mud wall and continue in this manner
till the tube is full. Finally they fill a stronger mud wall over the tube to protect the larvae from predators.
They do not have pollen baskets on their legs to store pollen but the hair on their bodies will catch the pollen.
Note how full of pollen the abdomen and legs are. Lovely yellow color.
These blue bees are very good orchid pollinators.
Pollen all over its legs and body. Have a look at those wings.
So stunning this pretty metallic blue bee. Cant believe I came across this bee in our home.
This is a picture of its metallic green blue body, with some pollen on its face and hairy legs and abdomen.
Another Blue Mason Bee picture.
Also a video slide showing the blue bee foraging on these yellow cosmos flowers.
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